What an adventure we had travelling through the Mekong Delta.  The Mekong Delta is a river that is approximately 4,800 km and passes through 6 different countries – China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam and Thailand.   Life on the river was quite interesting to see.  It felt like we were travelling through the jungle!  We hopped on a motorized boat and went through the floating fish market while visiting different villages to see the orchards and visit the bee-keeping farm to taste natural honey.  We also sampled rice paper, coconut candy and tropical fruit. We enjoyed a horse ride through the village and row-boat ride  (we hope you enjoy our lovely singing!) along the Mekong Delta. 

Today we travelled outside of the city centre to visit an HIV Care Clinic. In Vietnam, people with HIV are commonly abandoned, however this clinic allows them to feel a sense of belonging and allows them to live a “normal” life. People often come when they are close to death so that they can die peacefully and humanly, rather than on the side of the street. There are also many children at the clinic who have acquired HIV during birth. The children are told about their sickness and understand its severity. However, they lead fairly normal lives – they have classes and play around with each other. Despite their illness, the children are so full of happiness! After a few minutes of playing with them you quickly forget they are sick.

On the way home we spent a few hours at another orphange for children with disabilities.  The children were very excited to see us and we kept them laughing the entire time. They thought we were absolutely hilarious!

#2. The food is delicious and cheap! (you can get pho on the side of the street for $1)! Just don’t watch it being made!

#3. The two most common things you will be asked are “How old are you?” and “Are you married?”. Don’t be offended, apparently it shows they care!

#4. In the market never pay more than 60% of their original asking price! If you repeatedly refuse and walk away they are sure to give in! 

#5. When taking a cab, be prepared to get ripped off at least once a day (even though cabs are already so cheap, you’ll probably end up paying only $1 more)!

#6. If you ask someone if they speak English and they smile and nod their head, don’t believe them!! It is so difficult to find people you can communicate with!

#7. For only $3, pamper yourself by getting a manicure and pedicure! They even come with massages!

#8. Be sure to bring shower slippers! There is no separation between the shower, toilet and sink!

#9. The humidity causes you to sweat 24/7, so be prepared to never feel clean! Even after a shower!

#10. During monsoon season, expect heavy rainfall everyday between 1-2 pm! If you are on the street you will probably have to purchase an ugly poncho!

Once we finished preparing the food and it was cooked, we went to the hospital to see the food being distributed to those people who have sick loved ones in the hospital.  There is not enough room in the hospital for visitors, so individuals sleep outside the hospital and line up for food everyday.  Seeing the conditions that the people have to survive (just to be close to the person in the hospital), makes you realize how lucky we are to have such great hospital care in Canada.

We spent the weekend in Siem Reap, Cambodia visiting famous temples and relaxing at our luxurious hotel.  We were taken to our hotel by a strange taxi driver who kept insisting we hire him as a driver for the next day (clearly trying to rip us off).  We ended up taking the safe route and booked a private tour guide and driver through our hotel for a decent price.  Our hotel was gorgeous and only cost us $80 a night.

We had a 4:30am wake up call to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat.  Unfortunately, the weather was gloomy and there was no sun!! Our guide took us to visit the breath taking temples including Angkor Wat (my favourite temple), Angkor Thom, Bayon and Ta Prohm (the famous tree from the movie Tomb Raider was filmed here). We even saw elephants footsteps away from us! Thanks to Grade 12 World Religions class we were able to appreciate the Hindu and Buddhist traditions practiced in the temples. 

After 6 hours of visiting temples we were ready to hit the markets!  On our way home, Bianca was feeling adventurous and tasted a roasted cricket! In the evening, we took a  tuk tuk down to Pub Street and found a restaurant where we enjoyed some traditional Aspara dancing.  

It was great weekend to get away from the busy city but we’ve missed the kids (its only been 2 days) and we are eager to see them tomorrow!

Once the women enter the shelter, they do not leave because they are embarrassed that they will be seen by people they know.  They spend their time sewing, making beaded key chains and creating crafts so they can make some money.

All their stories were truly inspiring.  Although they have been abandoned by their families, they rely on each other for support and encouragement.  Unlike many of the children who have been abandoned by their parents, these women are determined to provide for their children and shower them with unconditional love.